The Power of Networks
I certainly second this sentiment!
Movie Review Monday: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
Hey there, everybody!
Welcome to another installment of Movie Review Monday, where I turn you onto something cool that's streaming instantly on Netflix. This week's film is the 2008 comedy "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" with Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst.
In my efforts to showcase a variety of different films, this movie (based on a memoir by Toby Young of the same name), is a more crude comedy while still being clever. I usually go for something less low-brow but with Pegg starring the lead role of Sidney Young, a lovable oaf who navigates the world of the celebrity glitterati, he makes the adventure endearing in classic Pegg fashion. Dunst is a solid supporting role as well as a jaded, conflicted colleague of Pegg.
The whole movie is a subtle satire of Hollywood culture, which I appreciate, poking fun at the vapid nature of it all and the self-feeding nature of the tabloid industry. Megan Fox stars as the stereotypical person famous for being famous and is the foil for Pegg's temptation to lose himself into that empty world.
So check out this movie for a different sort of comedy than what I usually recommend. It's a solid Pegg vehicle and something you can check out mentally with for a bit.
Come back next week for another recommendation!
What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 04/11/14
Oh Hey! Welcome to another weekly installment of what's on my geeky brain lately! I'm thinking green this week in honor of Earth Day coming up and spring finally having sprung. Let us get to it!
- Spring!
So this is a small, minor, simple geek out here. It is FINALLY warmer outside so I'm excited to be able to walk around with birds chirping, the sun shining, and there just being more positive energy around. It's funny how a change in weather can affect people. I look forward to getting to the beach next month and spending some quality time here around Jersey exploring before I depart after graduation(!).
Back in the day I blogged on the topic of sustainability (linked above). It's something that I'm passionate about and I work into my daily habits everywhere I can. Being mindful of what we use and waste is a huge step in the move towards preserving this cool planet, which I'd like to maintain since I keep all my stuff here.
- The Cloud!
A big part of what I think will help with the aforementioned sustainability push is working more off the cloud. This means virtual storage such as Dropbox, Evernote, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. It's a great way to collaborate, be more productive, and save space since you don't have to lug papers around. I am a strong advocate of utilizing the cloud and will continue to sing it's praises. I'm personally a big fan of Evernote and Dropbox. Perhaps a topic for a future geek out...
Keep that geek pride strong! Have a great weekend!
Movie Review Monthly - March 2014
Salutations good people! To help the good content from the site coming to you, I'm going to curate my movie reviews just like I am going to do with my "geeking out" posts so that you can easily get what I've been posting each month. This past month, I reviewed the following awesome movies!
- Craigslist Joe
- Our Idiot Brother
- The Cabin in the Woods
- Sleepwalk with Me & My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
- Dr. Strangelove
Stream these fine films today and come back every Monday for a new recommendation!
Take care!
What I Was Geeking Out About - March 2014
Hey there everyone! I'm trying to make sure you all get to see all the awesome stuff I put out and make it as easy as possible at the same time, so here's a listing of the geek out posts I did in the month of March. They include such cool things as the School of Greatness Podcast, Harry's shaving supplies, Workaholics, and the Veronica Mars movie. Enjoy!
Appreciate the support as always!
Movie Review Monday: Flight
Hey folks!
This week I look at the recent 2012 drama "Flight" starring Denzel Washington in the leading role as Whip Whitaker, a morally ambiguous pilot who saves a plane full of passengers during a dangerous accident. Only after is the heroic Whitaker questioned about his capabilities during the flight when the cause of the crash is explored. We as the audience know he is an alcoholic and drug user, but Whitaker is able to lie his way out of responsibility and the film follows the insinuating emotional turmoil of our protagonist as he comes to grips with his life and choices.
Flight is a powerful movie. Denzel brings it (as he always does) so that you are rooting for him one second and frustrated with him the next. A brilliantly diverse supporting cast surrounds Denzel but the movie is all about his character's emotional journey throughout the course of the plot. It is a strong dramatic story we go through, learning new details about Whitaker and about the impact of the crash on people's lives, upping the stakes of Whitaker's lies. He can only smooth talk his way out any responsibility for so long. The ending is one I enjoyed quite a bit; the emotional catharsis is what all movies should strive for.
I recommend Flight for anyone looking for a strong dramatic night in with Netflix. It was a strong award season contender when it came out and rightfully so. If you haven't seen it yet, add it to your queue today!
Hope you enjoy and see you next week for another awesome streaming recommendation!
What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 04/04/14
Good day to you, fellow geek and/or nerd! Here is what is on my mind for this week.
I am very excited about this movie and all the positive buzz it has going for it. It's certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and after revisiting Cap's previous cinematic adventure not too long ago, I'm really amped up for this movie! I'm going with my partner to go see it tonight so expect to hear my thoughts on social media afterwards!
- Indianapolis
I visited Indy for a few days this past week for the 2014 ACPA National Convention and it was awesome! The convention itself was a lot of fun but being able to visit this cool city was a consistent highlight. There was cool restaurants, neat architecture, the weather was beautiful, and the city was very clean. I even visited a neat comic book shop, Downtown Comics, where I picked up a new Spider-Man comic (I'm geeking out about him a lot lately).
- Coffee
Coffee is generally something I geek out about, as it gives me life quite often. I want to specifically highlight a new initiative within the awesome TOMS family (the ones who make the cool, socially good shoes); TOMS Roasting Co., which provides ethically sourced coffee and in exchange, helps give clean water to those in need. I got a sample at the aforementioned ACPA conference and was excited to hear about this new endeavor for a company I love (I own two pairs of TOMS shoes already and plan on getting more). I'll have to let you know what I think when I get to try more of their stuff.
Thanks for stopping by! Keep it real, my friends!
Movie Review Monday: Dr. Strangelove
Welcome to another look at some shining gems of the Netflix streaming offerings! This week, I look at the classic 1964 political satire film, Dr. Strangelove.
I remember watching this movie back in my undergraduate days when I took an introduction to film course that had the class watch a number of the best classic movies from the twentieth century. This one sticks out in my memory as being one that definitely stands the test of time. I believe I may have a partial bias here as a history major, appreciating the spot on parody of the Cold War depicted here, but I think the eccentric and silly nature of the whole film is something anyone can enjoy.
Peter Sellers is the highlight of the movie in terms of actors. He is able to play multiple roles within the story and perform them all to perfection. Frankly, everyone in the film is great in their roles, making for a brilliant ensemble for the hilarity to flow from. Again, I'll make the point to say this is another smart comedy, so if you want to check your brain at the door, this may not be for you. While it is a clever parody, it isn't without its juvenile moments but the satire far outweighs any sophomoric hijinks.
Hope you enjoy and come back next week for another review!
What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 03/28/14
Howdy! Here is what I'm getting geeky about this week!
I was recommended this excellent podcast by a friend of mine and I listened to a few episodes while on my recent ride down to Delaware from NJ. I tend to download a bulk of episodes when I know I have a long drive alone ahead of me so I figured I'd finally check out School of Greatness. It's a fun, engaging interview format show with notable thought leaders in the realms of motivation, innovation, social entrepreneurship, and start-ups. Much like the Smart People Podcast that I have mentioned on here before, it is a great way to spend some time listening to thoughtful content that has powerful takeaways for your life, work, and everything in between.
Now I just generally geek out about Spidey but I picked up some new comics the other day with my favorite webslinger which helped foster my love for the character. I'm also getting more and more excited for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 coming out soon. I can never get enough of this guy! Read here for more details on what I've learned from Marvel resident young, geeky superhero.
Probably mu other biggest geekdom besides Spider-Man is Star Wars. I've been binging on the new Clone Wars series that recently became "streamable" (which I'm making a word) on Netflix. I'm almost caught up on the episodes that aired on television and am more intrigued to tackle the "Lost Missions" that never made it to air due to the whole Disney buying Lucasfilm business. Having Arrow, Agents of SHIELD, and Clone Wars as weekly doses of DC, Marvel, and Star Wars respectively has been awesome lately, even though SHIELD has been frustratingly spotty with their episodes. That's another topic for another time though.
Have an awesome weekend everyone! Go geek out with pride!
Movie Review Monday: Mike Birbiglia Double Feature
So this week I wanted to highlight what I think will be a unique, smart, heartfelt double feature on Netflix featuring one of my favorite comedians; Mike Birbiglia.
The two films available for streaming are 2012's Sleepwalk with Me and 2013's My Girlfriend's Boyfriend.
Sleepwalk with Me is a dramatized story of real events from Birbiglia's life when he struggled with sleepwalking due to stress. It captures moments from when he was just starting out in comedy and was hustling to get gigs wherever and however he could, most coming at a personal cost. It is at times somber, other times awkward, and other times just pure comedy all of these in the best ways. It resonates in a similar way to Birbiglia's comedy, rightfully so since it is a main plot point, and is an interesting perspective into what it can take to achieve your dreams.
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is a more straight forward stand-up performance from Birbiglia. It has the same characteristics though of being full of genuine emotion, as he tells stories about his escapades in love throughout his life. He is able to authentically showcase the ups, downs, and genuine irrationality that can come with being in love. It all has a fun comedic twist, with Birbiglia finding the comedy in many aspects of his life, which makes it not only entertaining, but able to connected with on a purely human level, since we can all empathize with his struggles.
Check out these two awesome movies streaming on Netflix right now! Hopefully you enjoy my brand of comedic preferences and come back next week for more recommendations!